ITS TIN!!!!

[Ellendra]

Ok, most of you know that something has been slowly eating my brain away since October. We were almost sure it was late-stage Lyme, but the most sensitive test showed only borderline positive, and 3 weeks of treatment had no effect, so the doctors couldn't agree on whether it qualified or not.

At the end of May I saw a specialist who actually knew what she was doing, who ordered a slew of tests, some of which we finally got the results of today.

I have 20X the maximum safe amount of tin in my body!

The symptoms of tin poisoning read like my diary!

Now, there's still a lot to figure out. I might still have Lyme, and we don't know where the tin is coming from. I also had slightly-too-high amounts of lead, and my thyroid is out of whack. But, this is the first clear positive result we've gotten!!

[Millymollymandy]

I'm glad you have some kind of result Ellendra but tin, gosh I didn't even know we had that in our bodies (not one of the trace elements normally shown up in a standard blood test!). I do hope they will be able to figure it all out and soon and that you will be able to start getting better at long last!

[Annpan]

Good luck, glad you eventually know what it is, hope you find a way to deal with it.

[StripyPixieSocks]

WOW! I'm glad you've finally got some 'good' (I know it's not good but you know what I mean) news!

Having had a two year struggle trying to find out what was wrong with my OH I know all too well the frustration you go through when tests keep coming back negative and the condition keeps getting worse!

Here's hoping you're well on the way to getting some treatment now

[the.fee.fairy]

I'm glad you;'ve got a decent diagnosis.

So...how did you get that much tin in your body? I know that might seem like a silly question but i was reading something about wells the other day and when i read this i wondered if it was coming from water, or something that you're ingesting regularly.

[Ellendra]

We're going to get our tap water tested, and I advised my local doctor that if it is the tap water there might be more cases out there undiagnosed. It could also be the fact that I eat the skins on my baked potatoes. Tin is found in everything from pesticides to toothpaste, and according to what I read, there is no actual "safe" level, but I tested at 20X the "doctors should be alarmed now" level :p

It might take a while to figure out the source, but in the mean time I'll be peeling my root vegetables, avoiding canned foods, and looking for a good water filter because I drink too much to buy it bottled.

[MKG]

How much tea do you drink, Ellendra? It's a fairly concentrated source of tin (I read somewhere, but of course I can't find it now!).

Mike

EDIT: Nope, forget I said it. It was something in my memory from years ago, and I've now found the results of the study - there are no significant amounts of tin in tea.

[mrsflibble]

found this on google...
"Sources include air pollution, tin cans, tin foil, and food additives."

look at your local area, what factories are near? do you live near a big main road and do a lot of work outside? is your veg home grown?

[StripyPixieSocks]

My OH is mental about not opening the likes of a tin of beans and putting the half empty can back in the fridge as apparently that can leach out the tin... I've been told off lots of times

[Ellendra]

found this on google...
"Sources include air pollution, tin cans, tin foil, and food additives."

look at your local area, what factories are near? do you live near a big main road and do a lot of work outside? is your veg home grown?

I live in one of the cleaner cities in America, far from the main road, and our "tin foil" is aluminum. Tin cans would be a long shot but I'm still avoiding them, they're coated on the inside specifically to prevent leaching.

I'm thinking the tap water is the most likely culprit. Haven't found a filter that says it removes tin, but I talked with Brita on the phone, and they said they'd pass along my request for testing their filters against tin.

[red]

glad you found the answer. that must be a relief of sorts

[frozenthunderbolt]

I'm thinking some solders contain tin. if you have a boil on the stove kettle or metal (copper) piping they may have been repaired with an unsafe solder at some point - would also explain raised lead levels.
Could be worth a look?
All the best.